As with any goal glut in any league, questions will be raised over the standard of defending, particularly on a weekend when the the 5ft 2in Joao Plata scored a free header and Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell danced through a New England defense that resembled a set of training pylons. Yet there were some glorious goals as well, not least Dillon Serna’s lash against DC United in a losing effort for Colorado.

It’s more likely the spike in production was a quirky statistical anomaly that will right itself in due course, but there is more than enough reason to hope for a similar spectacle this weekend in MLS, beginning with Real Salt Lake’s trip to play FC Dallas at Toyota Park on Friday night. It’s a big game. Dallas are on a major run, unbeaten in nine and with five wins in their last six league ties. Their latest was an imperious 0-5 romp against San Jose at Buck Shaw with the Canadian Tesho Akindele scoring a hat-trick. RSL meanwhile are coming off a vital 2-1 win against the Sounders, and have a chance to ward off Dallas in the Western Conference, now on 39 points to Salt Lake’s 42.

Saturday sees the New York Red Bulls start a punishing week with a home game against the Montreal Impact. With two matches in four days – New York plays Salvadoran side FAS in the CONCACAF Champions League this Tuesday – NYRB coach Mike Petke has spoken of various player “scenarios” to help his team scrape by. Montreal meanwhile was buoyed by Marco Di Vaio’s late winner last weekend against the Fire and will hope to add a fifth league win this season to counterbalance their 14 losses.

At the same time, Toronto FC will host the Chicago Fire in a bid to crawl back into a losing fight for first in the East. Toronto’s 4-1 loss to SKC last weekend was within a hair’s breadth of going the other way after a few glorious chances missed from Gilberto, though Reds fans may hope the coach, Ryan Nelsen, will speak to his players about the importance of clean challenges after conceding two penalties in the first half. Chicago for their part continue to struggle, failing to score against dead-last Montreal only days after conceding six goals to Seattle in the US Open Cup. Fire fans will hope against hope new addition Robbie Earnshaw can help out in attack.

The New England Revolution play Chivas USA in a game the Goats desperately need to win to stay relevant. Chivas looked turgid against the Whitecaps in their 0-0 draw last Saturday, which awarded them a vital point in their bid to somehow crawl out of the lower half of the West. Meanwhile the Revs are still adding attacking pieces including USA U23 striker Tony Taylor, though they may want to shore up their defense before the 15 September trade deadline after some horrendous marking against the Timbers’ Ridgewell.

It’s hard to think how the Columbus Crew could improve after a decisive 4-1 victory over the normally airtight Galaxy, but the Houston Dynamo could pose some problems if they can somehow find a way to be good on the road. Though he should be pleased with the continued reliability of Will Bruin up front, coach Dominic Kinnear will need to find a way to overcome Houston’s awful 1-9-1 away record when they visit Crew Stadium.

Road woes won’t be a worry for Sporting Kansas City when they face DC United at home in the league’s other marquee match. Though SKC blew past Toronto last weekend with Dom Dwyer converting twice from the spot, the Reds posed a few questions of the defense on the break. Meanwhile Kansas, having traveled home from Nicaragua, could be tired after a grueling 1-1 draw against Real Estelí in the CONCACAF Champions League Tuesday. DC United are locked in a battle with SKC for first in the East, and seemed to weather some key injuries in a 4-2 win over Colorado last weekend.

The LA Galaxy too are returning home after an eventful MLS road trip to face the Vancouver Whitecaps at StubHub. After a raucous, embarrassing 4-1 loss at Crew Stadium last weekend, Landon Donovan helped rally the team Wednesday in a 3-4 comeback thriller against the hapless Colorado Rapids. While the Galaxy should be hopeful for a result against the Caps at home, LA have shipped seven goals in their last two matches, which may be music to Darren Mattocks’ ears.

The first of two matches on Sunday, the Portland Timbers resume Cascadian hostilities against the Seattle Sounders at Providence Park. Their last meeting way back in April produced a memorable 4-4 draw, and this game is finely poised with the Timbers needing to crawl back into the playoff race and Seattle needing to keep pace with RSL. Meanwhile Seattle will look to improve after a tepid, physical 1-1 draw with San Jose midweek. A lot to hope for here.

Finally, the weekend ends with the Philadelphia Union taking on the San Jose Earthquakes. Sébastien Le Toux couldn’t score in the Union’s last MLS match, though the chances were there so Philly may want to play on the break. As for San Jose, expect more of the same physical play that kept Seattle at bay on Wednesday, but they’ll get a boost from the incredible play of the 19-year-old wunderkind Tommy Thompson.

All in all, reason enough to hope this weekend that the floodgates will stay open a little while longer.